This post is part of a series on Optimizing Focus. Finding it hard to focus is normal. Self-flagellation does not work to improve your focus. Furthermore it takes time and energy that takes you away from your writing; it is another distraction. I firmly believe that you can approach your work compassionately rather than violently. […]
Read More »Developing a Practice
Your academic life is more than a string of articles published, classes taught, and meetings attended. You write because this is how you articulate and develop your ideas. You publish to communicate those ideas to others. Posts in this category help you develop the practices you need to do the work you love well without burning out or compromising your values.
You Need a Writing Practice is a good place to start to investigate the Writing subcategory.
Juggling 101: Elements of a good plan is a good place to start investigating the Planning subcategory.
Protecting time for writing: Interruptions
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Protecting time for writing: Interruptions I encourage you to make writing a priority and block time so that writing becomes a regular practice, rather than something you only do when you have specific deadlines. Although I recognise that different people will work better in different places, I strongly advocate […]
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Save time on teaching prep, without compromising quality
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · On Definining Learning Objectives I am a fan of articulating learning objectives or expected learning outcomes. (They are outcomes once they’ve happened. Expected outcomes or objectives when you start.) Articulating clearly what you expect students to learn as a result of taking your course can benefit students. It makes […]
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Making Room for Reading
This is a guest post by Sarah Burton, a Leverhulme Early Career Research Fellow. You can follow her on Twitter @DrFloraPoste. I’ve added the headings, a few comments (in italics at the end), and the related posts. Thinking about what the life of an academic would look like I usually pictured piles of leather-bound books […]
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Dictation and Focus
In Focus: 3 elements to consider, I outlined three elements that affect your focus during a writing session: the task itself, how you are feeling, and the context. I have written a series of follow up articles going into more detail about what that framework looks like in practice. I use the term “optimize” purposefully. […]
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Writing and Focus in Grading Season
In Focus: 3 elements to consider, I outlined three elements that affect your focus during a writing session: the task itself, how you are feeling, and the context. I have written a series of follow up articles going into more detail about what that framework looks like in practice. I use the term “optimize” […]
Read More »Cycles of the academic year & intensity of work
I am a wee bit bossy about sleep and rest. In this post I want to talk about something related: intensity of work, what is normal, and the importance of cycles in the academic year. You are tired at the end of the academic year. I am writing in April. Although the exact dates of […]
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Sleep is not a luxury
It seems that there is an epidemic of sleep problems and inability to actually relax out there. I’m going to share a few thoughts. Sleep is important. Not only does lack of sleep impair cognitive function, it can mess up your metabolism and cause all kinds of health problems. There is some evidence that the […]
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Confidence Tricks
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Confidence Tricks Everyone struggles with confidence at least some of the time. While confidence can’t be overly reliant on external validation, negative feedback is always difficult, and it’s tough to maintain your confidence when external validation is slow in coming. Confidence also depends on things you don’t have complete […]
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Write every day?
This is a question that comes up a lot in advice about academic writing, or any kind of writing really. And it came up during the December 2018 Planning Your Winter Semester class in the Academic Writing Studio. A lot of people encourage you to write every day. You may think that because I have […]
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Academic citizenship & getting better at saying no
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Academic citizenship & getting better at saying no There are a lot of tasks that when done well, no one even notices. They are essential to the smooth running of your department, institution, and scholarly association, and yet they are often invisible. Even if doing the actual tasks gets […]
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Before you can say no …
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Before you can say no It’s all well and good for people to tell you “You need to get better at saying no” but there are lots of good reasons that saying no is difficult. Even the people giving you that advice aren’t very good at hearing no, when […]
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